Before the Worst
by ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: AU August 15, 2011: what would have happened if Sonny got shot at the pier instead of Chad? Takes place during the DiMera Kiriakis War of 2011.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I saw a post on Tumblr that read along the lines of "Remember when they were going to shoot Sonny, but Chad got hit instead?". Obviously that was incorrect (Brady hired someone named Dimitri to kill either EJ or Chad to get back at the DiMeras for shooting Maggie, so they shot Chad. Sonny and Abigail were with him at the time.), but, then I thought "What if Sonny DID get shot instead of Chad at the pier that day?" **

**So, here we are! Just a few notes: This takes place mid-August of 2011. So EJole, EJaylor, Chabby, Wabi, Dannifer, Dalenie, State, and Safe were all canon; Will hadn't come out yet, Tad is still homophobic, Nick is still in jail, Kayla is in Europe, Lexie's still alive, Marlena and John are in Europe, Bo is still in Salem, and Kristen is still in that harem.**

**This story also has one-sided Wilson. I'll try to make Lexie and Taylor in character. I only know a bit about them.**

**I do not own Days of Our Lives. It belongs to NBC.**

Dimitri sat very still behind the crates at the pier. EJ DiMera and his wife were there earlier. DiMera was slightly drunk. He went back the following day and sat for a few hours. He was starting to think that none of the DiMeras were going to show. He was about to leave when he heard footsteps. He crouched back down and his heart leapt when he saw Chad DiMera and his girlfriend walk in. They argued for a bit until someone else came in.

"Hey. Everything okay?" Sonny asked.

"Oh, hey, Sonny. What do you think? You're of the same bloodline…" Chad ranted.

"Sonny Kiriakis?" Dimitri muttered under his breath. He aimed his gun, careful not to let Sonny into his line of fire.

Sonny put his hands on Chad's shoulders. "Okay, you know what? You need to lay low."

Chad pushed Sonny off and stepped aside. "Fine."

BAM!

Abby gasped loudly and jumped back as Sonny dropped to the ground, his shoulder bleeding. "Oh my God!"

Sonny groaned loudly and clutched his shoulder. Chad ran in the direction of the bullet, and saw someone run around a corner. He sighed and ran back to his friend and girlfriend. Abby frantically wrapped her shrug around her cousin's shoulder while trying hard not to cry. Chad took her shrug from her and started wrapping it around Sonny's shoulder. Sonny clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.

EJ and Taylor ran in just then. EJ sighed in relief seeing that his brother was all right. "What the bloody hell happened?"

"Sonny was shot, that's what happened!" Chad turned angrily to his brother. "Tell me Dad had nothing to do with this!"

EJ's voice stuck in his throat. "I…I'm not sure… come on, then. We need to get him to the hospital."

XXX

EJ dropped Abigail, Chad, and Sonny off at the emergency room. "It's too dangerous for me to be seen with a Kiriakis. Go!"

Chad carefully pulled Sonny, who was now barely conscious, out of the car. "Come on, dude. Stay with us. Abby, get a nurse."

Abby nodded and sprinted into the hospital. "HELP, SOMEBODY! IT'S MY COUSIN! HE'S BEEN SHOT!"

Two nurses sprinted towards Abby, one of them pulling a gurney. Chad half-carried, half-dragged Sonny inside. He helped the nurses gently place Sonny onto the gurney. They rushed to the elevator and one of them called Daniel to have a trauma team ready. They rode the elevator to the fifth floor. When the elevator opened, Jenn and Hope stood waiting. They looked horrified and worried when they saw Sonny bleeding and unconscious.

"What happened?" Hope asked one of the nurses.

"Oh, dear God, Sonny!" Victor exclaimed. Bo gasped.

"He was shot in the shoulder." One of the nurses. She pointed to Abby and Chad. "They brought him in."

Victor's face turned from worried to fury as he turned to Chad. "_You!"_

"No! I had nothing to do with this!" Chad exclaimed.

Victor lunged for Chad, but Bo and Hope held him back. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! AS IF MY GIRLFRIEND WASN'T ENOUGH, YOU HAD TO SHOOT MY NEPHEW, TOO?!"

Lexie came from her office to see what all the commotion was about. She gasped and her eyes widened in horror as he heard Victor. She ran to Chad and grabbed his arm. She held out a hand to Victor. "Victor, stop! Chad had nothing to do with this."

"BULLSHIT! HE WAS WITH HIM!"

Lexie turned to Chad. "Chad, don't say anything without a lawyer." She pushed the down button on the elevator.

"COWARDS! BOTH OF YOU!" Victor screamed as Lexie and Chad left. Bo and Hope dragged Victor to a chair as he breathed heavily.

Jenn turned to Abby. "Honey, what happened?"

XXX

At the Cheatin' Heart, Justin sat at the counter as Adrienne made his drink. His phone buzzed and he bit back a groan. "Hello?"

"Justin, it's Hope."

"Hey, Hope, what's up?" Justin smiled.

"Honey, I don't know how else to tell you this." Hope swallowed. "It's Sonny. He's at the hospital. He's been shot."

Blood drained from Justin's face, his heart skipped several beats, and he nearly fell off his stool. He gripped the counter for support. "How bad?" Adrienne turned around and froze when she saw her husband's expression. Justin let his phone fall from his hand and started breathing heavily. He looked up at his wife. "Sonny was shot. He's at the hospital."

XXX

EJ stormed through the mansion into the living room where Stefano and Kate were talking. "What have you done?!"

"Excuse me?" Stefano asked.

"I was just at the pier." EJ put his hands on his hips and exhaled. "Someone shot Sonny!"

Kate's eyes widened. "Sonny Kiriakis?"

"Elvis, I assure you. I had nothing to do with this." Stefano replied. "What do you take me for, huh? You really think I'd execute two moves in a row?"

"Then…who did?" EJ asked.

"Wait, isn't he gay? Maybe it was a homophobic attack." Kate suggested.

Stefano groaned and walked towards the window. "It won't matter. The Kiriakis' will still think we were responsible."

XXX

Brady sighed inwardly. He hasn't heard from Dimitri yet, and Nicole won't stop pressuring him. His phone rang. "Finally." He looked at the caller ID and sighed in disappointment. "Granddad."

"Brady, Sonny's been shot. He's at the hospital."

Brady froze. "What?! When? Where?"

"About an hour ago at the pier. Chad DiMera and Abigail Deveraux were with him."

Brady's heart quickened and shivers ran up and down his spine. "I gotta go." He hung up and dialed Dimitri. "Come on. Pick up, you bastard!"

"Mr. Black-"

"Dimitri, you son of a bitch! You had one job!" Brady yelled over the phone.

"I'm sorry. DiMera stepped aside as I pulled the trigger. It was an accident!"

"Accident? You shot my cousin! You better pray I don't find you." He hung up and threw his phone against the wall. He yelled in frustration. _'Crap. What have I done?'_ He sighed, turned around, and jumped slightly. He had forgotten Nicole was there.

Nicole folded her arms and glared at him. "Justin. Is going. To kill you."

Brady sighed. "I know. I didn't know Sonny was going to be at the pier!" he sighed. "What are the chances of them passing it off as a homophobic attack?"

"Less than three days after the failed shooting of Victor? In the presence of a DiMera?" Nicole raised an eyebrow.

"So, what you're saying is, I'm screwed."

"Like a light bulb."


	2. Chapter 2

Adrienne and Justin rushed through the waiting area and spotted Jenn and Abigail.

"How is he? Have you heard anything?" Adrienne asked.

Jenn stood up and hugged her. "Sonny was at the pier with Abigail and Chad. He was shot, but, no one saw the shooter."

"Where was he shot?" Justin asked.

"The right shoulder. He's in surgery now." Jenn replied.

Adrienne sniffed and covered her mouth. Justin put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "Sonny…."

Everyone turned to see Daniel heading towards the group. Adrienne practically jumped on him. "Please tell me he's okay!"

"He is okay. The bullet went through and through, but it hit an artery. We were able to repair it, but, it'll take time for him to recover." Daniel said. "He's resting, but you can go in and see him."

Adrienne sniffed and nodded. "Thank you." She hugged Daniel tightly. "Thank you for saving him."

"Hey, he did that on his own." Daniel replied. "He's in recovery room five-west-seventeen."

"Thanks." Justin and Adrienne rushed off.

XXX

Bo, Hope, Roman, Abe, and Rafe gathered at the police station. Bo was on the phone and hung up.

"That was Victor. He says Sonny is gonna be okay." Bo reported.

"Oh, thank God." Hope sighed with relief.

"The DiMeras got lucky." Rafe commented. "At least it wasn't a successful murder."

"We need proof." Roman spoke up. "They'll probably say it was a homophobic attack. And maybe it was. We have to explore every possibility here."

"And give the DiMeras time to hide what they've done?" Bo asked, aghast.

"It could also lead them into a false sense of security if we make them believe we think this was an act of homophobia." Abe replied. They all looked at him. "We need to question every one of Sonny's friends- Chad included- to see if he's been discriminated against."

Hope nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

XXX

Will and Gabi giggled as they walked into the Brady-Hernandez's apartment. Will listened to see if anyone was home. Satisfied, he led Gabi to the couch.

"Well, my apartment is empty. Whatever shall we do?" Will asked, playfully.

Gabi playfully stroked her chin. "I have an idea." She wrapped her arms around Will's shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. They lay on the couch and jumped apart as the door slammed open.

"Oh, good. You two are here." Rafe said slightly breathlessly. He noticed Will and Gabi had slightly guilty expressions. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Will swallowed. "Not…really. So, what's up?"

"Sonny Kiriakis just got shot in the shoulder earlier today." Rafe answered.

"What?!" Will and Gabi stood up.

"Is he going to be okay?" Gabi asked.

"Yeah, he's fine. The bullet went straight through, but he'll need to stay in the hospital to recover." Rafe replied.

"Who shot him?" Will asked.

"We don't know." Rafe shook his head. "I was actually hoping you guys could shed some light on who might have done it."

"Well…Tad has been acting pretty homophobic towards him for a while, but…this just seems too….severe for T." Gabi responded.

"Is T the only one that's been giving him a hard time?" Rafe asked.

"As far as we know, yes." Will nodded.

The door opened again, and Sami walked through. She stopped as she saw her husband, son, and sister-in-law looking a little distressed. "Did I miss something?"

"Yep. Sonny Kiriakis was shot a few hours ago." Rafe told her. "At the pier."

Sami looked concerned. "How bad?"

"He's alive, but he had to have surgery." Rafe replied.

"He was shot at the pier? Where Maggie Horton was shot a few days ago?" Sami asked.

"Yep. This has DiMera written all over it." Rafe replied.

"Seriously." Sami shook her head in dismay.

XXX

Back at the Kiriakis mansion, Brady rubbed his forehead, then headed to the liquor cart.

"Brady, you have to tell them. If you don't, the police will think it's the DiMeras." Nicole said pointedly.

Brady exhaled sharply and took a swig. "Let them. The DiMeras started this whole war anyway."

"No, _you_ did when you beat up EJ." Nicole raised an eyebrow. Her phone rang. "Oh. Speak of the devil."

"Seriously." Brady muttered darkly.

"Hey, Babe." Nicole answered.

"Where are you?" EJ demanded. "Something's happened."

"What now?" Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Just get back to the mansion. I'll explain when you get here." EJ hung up.

Nicole scoffed, then turned back to Brady. "I'm going to tell him, Brady. He's my husband. I can't lie to him."

"What do you mean? You used to lie all the time!" Brady exclaimed.

Nicole glared at Brady, and just left. "Unbelievable…"

XXX

Chad and Lexie practically ran to the living room of the DiMera mansion. "How could you, Dad? He's my friend!"

Kate raised his hands to calm him. "Chad, honey, relax. This wasn't your father's doing."

"So it was _just_ a coincidence that Sonny _Kiriakis_ was shot in the _exact same spot_ as Maggie Horton was not three days ago?" Chad asked, slightly angry.

"Maybe it was a homophobic attack." Kate suggested again.

"It wasn't." Everyone turned to see Nicole appearing at the doorway. "It was friendly fire."

"What's that supposed to mean?" EJ asked.

Nicole swallowed and stepped forward. "I was just with Brady. He told me he was the one who ordered the hit. It was meant for Chad, but…Sonny got hit instead."

Everyone was silent for a moment until Stefano started laughing. He clapped his hands and poured himself a drink. "_Dio mio_! I have never heard of a Kiriakis shooting one of their own."

"You realize that the police and the Kiriakis family will still think it was us, don't you?" EJ asked. "They are not going to believe us if we tell them what Nicole told us!"

"Unless Brady tells them himself." Nicole spoke up. Everyone stared at her in disbelief. "Look, I know Brady. The guilt will eat away at him, and he'll come forward."

"If he doesn't, you're gonna have to convince him." EJ said. "The Kiriakises and the police will be out for blood if he doesn't."

Nicole sighed. "Okay. I'll try." She turned to see Bo and Hope in the doorway.

"Gentlemen. Ladies." Bo greeted. "You have holy hell to answer for."


	3. Chapter 3

Rafe walked through the pub and saw T at the bar. "Tad Wilkons?"

T turned around. "Hmm?"

Rafe showed him his badge. "Salem PD. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about your day."

"Okay."

"Where were you earlier this afternoon at about two PM?" Rafe asked.

"At home playing a video game. Halo." T answered. "Why? What happened at around two PM?"

"Sonny Kiriakis was shot. He's alive, but in the hospital." Rafe braced himself for T's reaction.

"Oh. Hmm. Well, as much as I would like to take credit, I was not the one who shot him." T replied.

Rafe nodded. "All right. Thank you for your time." He left and called Roman. "Hey, I questioned Tad. He was at home when Sonny was shot. Looks like all signs point to the DiMeras now."

"All right. Bo and Hope are questioning the DiMeras now."

"All right. Let's hope they confess."

"Doubtful."

Rafe paused. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

XXX

At the DiMera Mansion, Chad stood up. EJ grabbed his arm, but he shrugged out of it.

"Oh, looks like we have our first volunteer." Hope snarked. "Chad…where were you at around two PM?"

"I was looking for Abigail." Chad answered.

"Your girlfriend. Sonny's cousin." Hope mused.

"Yes. I found her at the pier. We were talking, and-"

"What were you talking about?" Hope interrupted.

Chad glanced at EJ and Stefano, sighed, then turned back to the detectives. "We were talking about…family and…just…me leaving the life of the DiMera Crime Family."

Hope nodded. "And that's when Sonny showed up?"

"Yes. I didn't know he was going to be there." Chad said earnestly. "I started ranting, and Sonny tried to calm me down. I heard a gunshot just as I turned away. I saw someone wearing all black disappear down the pier."

"How tall was this man? What was his hair color?" Bo asked.

"Just over six feet tall with slicked back black hair." Chad replied.

Bo nodded and stood right in front of Chad's face. "If you're lying to me…you will suffer."

"I'm not lying." Chad looked Bo dead in the eye.

Bo stepped away. "So, what happened next? You took Sonny to the hospital?"

"Yes. But…EJ and Taylor showed up." Chad admitted.

EJ resisted the urge to smack his brother upside the head. Bo turned to EJ. "And where were you before you showed up at the pier?"

"I was talking with Taylor Raines in town square." EJ replied. "We heard a gunshot and rushed to the pier. I thought Chad might have been shot. I drove Chad, Abigail, and Sonny to the hospital."

Hope nodded and took notes. She turned to Stefano. "Okay. That's all for now. We'll let you know if we have further questions."

"I am sure you will, Detectives." Stefano replied.

As soon as the detectives left the house, Bo turned to his wife. "Make sure to go over Stefano's phone records over the last seventy-two hours. See if any of his henchmen were at the pier earlier."

"Right. We're also checking security footage. We'll be able to pick up a trail of the shooter." Hope nodded.

XXX

Brady sat on the couch drinking whisky. The guilt was already starting to eat away at him. He almost got his cousin killed. Kid's not even out of college- has his whole life ahead of him- and he almost gets him killed. All because he wanted to avenge Maggie. What the actual hell?

"What is wrong with you?"

Brady jumped slightly and saw Taylor standing near him with her hands on her hips. "You do know your cousin's in the hospital, right?"

"Yeah…freaking homophobes, man. What is their problem?" Brady scoffed and tried to take a drink, but realized the glass was empty. He exhaled sharply and slammed the glass on the coffee table.

Taylor tilted her head slightly. "You look guilty, Brady."

"Why? I'm not in rehab, so…"

"And you're tense and you won't even look at me. What's going on?" Taylor pressed on.

"What's going on is…" Brady stood up. "my cousin's in the hospital, so I need to be there."

Taylor held up her hands to stop him. "Wait a minute…Sonny was shot three days after and in the same spot Maggie Horton was shot. Chad DiMera was there. Did you…were you trying to frame the DiMeras for shooting Sonny?"

"Who said I did?" Brady demanded.

"Nicole told me you hired a hitman to go after Chad. Sonny ended up being shot." Taylor admitted.

"And you think I'd risk my cousin's ass to get back at the DiMeras?" Brady raised an eyebrow.

"Did you?" Taylor asked.

"No!" Brady insisted. "That bullet was meant for Chad."

Taylor huffed and shook her head. "Okay…you better tell your family the truth soon before they send the DiMeras to prison for something they didn't do."

"If the DiMeras go to jail, would it really be so bad?" Brady threw his arms out.

"No. But if they're put in jail on false charges and they find out you were the one who hired that hitman, things will be ten times worse for you! This war would never end!" Taylor exclaimed.

Brady groaned and ran a hand through his hair. She had a point there. He exhaled slowly. "Okay. I'll tell them now."

"Thank you." Taylor sighed quietly.

XXX

Justin and Adrienne walked into Sonny's hospital room. Adrienne swallowed back a sob as she walked to a chair next to the bed. Her baby boy looked so small on the hospital bed. He looked so peaceful. She carefully took his hand in hers.

"Hey, baby." Adrienne sniffed. "I don't know if you can hear me, but…you need to wake up. Your dad and I are right here. We can't lose you."

Justin took Sonny's other hand. "Your mom's right, kiddo. I'm so sorry. We raised you away from the life of the Kiriakis crime family drama. I should have…we should have protected you better. That's our job." He exhaled and blinked back tears.

Adrienne exhaled sharply. "How does this happen? I mean, he's climbed to the top of K2, he outran avalanches, scaled high mountains, hiked through thick fog, cliff-dived from a hundred feet…he's in _Salem_ less than _two months_ and he gets _shot_?"

Justin took Adrienne's free hand. "I know. I know."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, then Sonny squeezed their hands twice quickly. Adrienne gasped and she and Justin looked to see their son opening his eyes and smiling. "Hey."

"Hey!" Adrienne sighed in relief and stroked Sonny's hair. "You're okay. You're in the hospital."

"Hmm. That explains the bright lights, then." Sonny joked. Justin chuckled.

"How are you feeling?" Asked Adrienne.

"Tired…sore." Sonny replied.

"Well, you were shot. You just got out of surgery." Justin shrugged. "Sonny, do you remember what happened?"

Sonny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah…I was taking a walk near the pier when I heard Chad talking loudly. I decided to go check it out, and he and Abigail were arguing about something about family blood. I tried to calm him down…then I heard a gunshot. Next thing I know, I'm on the ground."

"Oh, baby." Adrienne said sympathetically.

"Sonny, did Chad call you earlier before you went to the pier?" Justin asked.

"No. Why?"

Justin sighed. "The police are going to want to talk to you. If you can think of anything out of the ordinary, you need to tell them."

"Dad…this wasn't Chad's fault." Sonny said earnestly. "He's not like his family."

"Sonny…you were shot in the same place Maggie Horton was three days ago." Justin said. "This can't be a coincidence."

Sonny sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what else to tell you, then."

Justin just nodded. "Are you okay enough to be questioned by the police?"

"Yeah." Sonny said sincerely.

"Okay. I'll call Bo."

XXX

Adrienne leaned against a wall as Bo questioned Sonny. He was adamant that the DiMeras have nothing to do with this. Well…he doesn't know any better. The DiMeras have gotten away with far too much. Now they almost killed her son.

She had to do something.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonny blinked away sunlight. The door opened, and he smiled at his visitor.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Will asked. He sat next to Sonny's bed.

"Better." Sonny said honestly. He was surprised when Will took his hand.

"You know, when I heard you were in the hospital…I was so scared. I thought I might lose you." Will looked like he was about to cry.

Sonny smiled. "You won't. I'm still here."

"That's good." Will chuckled. "Sonny, there's something I need to tell you."

Sonny nodded. "Okay."

"Hearing that you were hurt…and thinking about you…it made me realize something." Will swallowed. "I'm gay…for you. I…I have feelings for you."

Sonny's breath caught in his throat. "Oh, Will. I've waited so long for you to say that."

Will leaned up to kiss Sonny on the lips.

"Sonny. Sonny!" Sonny's eyes snapped open. It was all a dream! He sighed as he turned to Melanie, who held her hand up. "Sorry, but you need to be awake for this. It's time to change the ointment on your bandages."

Sonny sighed. "Okay. Go for it."

Melanie unbuttoned Sonny's gown. "Okay. Turn slowly on your good shoulder." Sonny obeyed, and Melanie redressed his shoulder. "Sorry I woke you. Did you get plenty of rest, anyway?"

"Yeah." Sonny assured her.

"Good dream? You were smiling like the Cheshire cat when I walked in."

Sonny chuckled. "Yeah. It was stupid."

"Okay, slowly lie back down." Sonny obeyed. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"More like embarrassing." Sonny replied. "I dreamed that…someone professed his love for me."

"Oh. Oh, God. Is it Chad? Am I gonna have to start calling you Juliet? Or Julian?" Melanie half-joked.

Sonny laughed. "No. My uncle would have a coronary." He exhaled slowly. "It's Will."

"Will Horton?" Melanie raised an eyebrow.

"Told you it was stupid." Sonny sank low in his bed. "I'm really proud of our friendship. I believe a gay guy can be friends with a straight guy without being….predatory. I just…I can't help it."

Melanie shrugged. "The heart wants what the heart wants."

"Yeah…."

"Okay. Sorry you don't have a hot, male nurse; but, your aunt, my dad, Maxine, and I are the only ones at this hospital your uncle trusts." Melanie shrugged. "I'll see you later."

"Okay. Thanks." Sonny watched Melanie leave, and sighed._ 'I really need to shake this. There are other gay guys in Salem. Right?'_

XXX

Brady heaved a big sigh as he stepped off the elevator. Justin, Daniel, and Victor were sitting on chairs near Maggie's room. He walked over. "Hey. How are Sonny and Maggie?"

"Both are fine. They'll make full recoveries." Victor replied.

Brady sighed with relief. "Good."

Justin studied Brady's expression. "Something wrong, Brady?"

"Yeah…actually. Can…can I talk to you guys in the waiting room? There's something I need to tell you. All of you." Brady said nervously.

"Okay. Let's go." Victor stood.

'_Well…it's now or never, Brady. What's the worst that can happen?'_

XXX

In a back hallway at the hospital, a tall man in all black answered his phone. "Yes, Mr. DiMera."

"Girarzi, this is extremely important. The Kiriakises might go after one of my children. Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes."

"Keep a close eye on Alexandra." Stefano said firmly. "If anything should happen to her…you know what to do."

"I understand." Girarzi hung up and patted his gun.

XXX

Lexie sat in her office talking on the phone. "…I understand. Just send over the tests when you have time. …Uh-huh. …. All right, talk to you soon." There was a knock on the door. "All right, bye. Come in!"

Adrienne walked into the office, looking grim. "Hey, Lexie."

"Hey! Give me just one second. I gotta put these files away." Lexie stood up, and turned to put away her stack of files. She turned around and stopped short when she saw Adrienne pointing a gun at her. She gasped, and raised her hands. "What are you doing?"

"My son almost died today. And it's all your family's fault." Adrienne said with malice in her voice.

**AAAAAHHHHH! CLIFFHANGER!**


End file.
